Seven Plymouth food businesses get zero rating for hygiene standards

SEVEN food-selling businesses in Plymouth were handed zero ratings for hygiene by inspectors who visited over the last year.

Almost 70 more have been given level 1 rating, meaning urgent improvement is necessary.

When inspectors called at the Saltram Club in March this year they found hot-holding equipment being used to reheat food and a safety cable to gas attached to pipework.

At the Cliff Edge Café, Plymstock in July last year inspectors found no hot water supply to any sinks; no food safety management system and the owner and staff members wearing flip flops in the kitchen.

Five other Plymouth businesses also received zero ratings, but the details are sealed pending legal action.

Establishments in Plymouth

Establishments in Devon and Cornwall

According to the Food Standards Agency rating website public listings, business in Plymouth with a zero rating include Foods 4U, 79 North Hill (inspected November 2010) and The Sea Queen, 260 St Levan Road (inspected February 2012).

In the South Hams, the function room at the Rose and Crown in Yealmpton was given a zero rating in June 2011.

Establishments given a level 1 rating include a number of shops, hotels, take-aways, cafes, restaurants and a staff canteen.

Health inspectors uncovered a catalogue of kitchen catastrophes when they visited Devon and Cornwall’s eateries over the past year.

Reports obtained by the Western Morning News have revealed some of the region’s zero-rated establishments in food hygiene listings compiled by the Food Standards Agency (FSA) – and the reasons why.

Bosses at the Saltram Club say they have already taken action after the visit - including a deep clean - which they say has brought their rating up to a level four out of five.

Inspectors dished out the bottom scores to premises across the two counties after finding: mouldy kitchens; rotting food; raw and cooked food stored together; misleading claims about food sources; broken fridges and freezers; meat and poultry kept at the wrong temperature; unlit food preparation areas; and chefs not their washing hands.

Any business serving food in Devon and Cornwall is subject to unannounced inspections by council food safety officers, in which they are scored between zero and five.

The ratings system, in partnership with the FSA, sees those premises scoring five which are said to have “very good” food hygiene.

Zero-rated establishments are deemed as requiring “urgent improvement”, but do not pose “imminent” threat to public health.

Since the first inspections, nearly all of the zero-rated premises said they had made improvements, but these are yet to be reflected in their published scores.

The reports released under the Freedom of Information Act revealed many of the zero-rated businesses had failed to implement a compulsory food safety management system, and one agreed to shut its doors temporarily after an inspector visited.

Six of the ten zero-listed premises were in Torbay, which has more than 500 food-serving businesses in operation. Almost 200 of those have been awarded the highest rating of five.

A Torbay Council spokesman said: “If a business is given a low rating they are given a written report which explains how they were rated and what they need to do to improve. Many of these businesses will receive a follow up inspection and if works are not completed officers have a number of enforcement options that can be used to secure compliance.”

After a three-month ‘cooling-off’ period, businesses can request another visit in a bid to receive a higher rating.

The spokesman added: “We have not closed down any premises since the introduction of the rating scheme. However, we have closed food premises prior to the rating scheme if they present a health risk to the public.”

Hundreds of other premises across Devon and Cornwall were given a one-rating, meaning they needed “major improvement”. Common problems included poor cleanliness, out-of-date produce, foods stored at the wrong temperature, and raw meat stored above ready-to-eat foods.

Inspectors found evidence of rodent infestation at three establishments in Exeter, raw meats stored next to cream cakes at one Mid Devon pub, and a contaminated hot water supply at one South Devon School – the Dartmouth Academy Primary.

The FSA guidelines give local authorities the power to impose formal sanctions on businesses where necessary.

An FSA spokesperson said: “Where a food outlet is given a low rating of ‘0’ or ‘1’ following an inspection, this means the business must make urgent or major improvements to hygiene standards.

“The local authority food safety officer will use a number of formal legal actions as well as giving advice and guidance to make sure these improvements are made.

“If the officer thinks that food may not be safe to eat and there is an imminent risk to public health, they must take action and are likely to close the business down.”

Five other premises in Plymouth also received the lowest score, but the reports were exempt from release pending legal action.

Food hygiene ratings for premises in Devon and Cornwall are available at ratings.food.gov.uk

The hotel owner declined to comment, but another staff member who did not give his name said problems had all been “dealt with”.

Diing Tay, Hayle Cornwall

Date visited: 15 March 2012

Score: 0

Inspectors found: Food stored in the refrigerator measured at 21.3 Celsius; poor cleanliness in the kitchen and food preparation areas.

The Chinese restaurant and take-away agreed to close following inspector’s visit, due to the level of cleanliness and the lack of refrigeration on site. It was allowed to re-open a day later once necessary improvements were carried out to a satisfactory standard.

Manager David Wong admitted a fridge had broken, but said it had been quickly replaced. He said they had agreed to close for one night “to keep the inspectors happy”.

Golden Dragon, Paignton South Devon

Date visited: 23 April 2012

Score: 0

Inspectors found: Numerous problems, including: no documented food safety management system; whole premises found in a dirty condition, especially “filthy” ceilings and walls, wash basins and toilets; wall in rear of food preparation area covered in black mould with perished plaster and peeling paint; wash basin in cooking area full of dirty equipment; food inspectors not washing their hands in a “hygienic manner”; and insufficient lighting in rear area.

Owner Peng Wong said “all the cleaning jobs are done”. He promised an inspector had come “today” and said “everything is fine”.

Owner Robert Viney said the inspector had turned up when a refurbishment was being carried out and insisted they “could not have chosen a worse time to come”. He claimed previous inspections by visiting health officers had been much better, and the business was “a lovely place now”.

The owner declined to comment, but Jackie Tait chief accountant said thousands of pounds had been spent on improvements including a new system for waste disposal. She claimed an inspector had visited the previous day and was “really pleased”. She said: “We knew exactly what we had to do, and have now done everything they asked”.

Misleading claims had been made on the main menu including: “local crab” found to be from Lancashire, and “homemade lasagne” found to be brought in premade.

A manager, who would only give her name as Vita, said: “We have sorted out almost everything.” She argued that nothing was “brought in ready-made”, and claimed that all homemade produce was “cooked in kitchen”.

Comments

@kersweaz.. Need to follow up what? I actually work in I.T, not the food industry. I just think that an appropriate level of hygiene is an absolute necessity when you're selling food to the public, therefore had no problem at all going through the first few pages and namin & shamin some more food establishments. I was just surprised that there were so many all in close proximity to each other.

i believe the Cliff Edge Cafe is at bovisands? on the way to the old fort.
CornishPirate looks like you own or work for a food out let in this area? need to follow this one up?
no matter which food out let that as found to be zero rated should be allowed to continue selling food as they currently are zero rated as got to mean they are closed right away and no matter what they do to improve things to stay shut for at least a month, most of the persons that run food out lets in my opinion under stand the value of money so if they cant earn money for i while this would make them pay more attestation to heath and safety.
why as it took a new administration to under take this work should have been done as a matter of course.

we had a restaurant cafe in keyham, with a 5 score. We had to close down. We were working very hard to keep the food and the hygene in high standard, but...people don t pay attention to these "details".Starting at 6 in the morning,closing at 9 ending at midnight to make sure that everything is clean tidy, and properly stored.Alone. because you can t actually find workers that give a **** about what and how they do their job.The food was great,and fresh. the prices were very low. Many business in town are still working even with grease glasses and black spots on the salad,why?

Here... I've done all my fellow Plymothians a favour and had a quick look through the worst rated food establishments in the city. It seems that the majority of the lowest rated (0 or 1) are in the North Hill - Mutley Plain area - so you know where to avoid going out to eat! Can't believe that there are so many all in such close proximity! Are they all owned by the same people or something??
Food 4 U (North Hill) 0 out of 5.
The Cornershop (North Hill) 1 out of 5.
Polish Market (Mutley Plain) 1 out of 5.
Joint Cafe/Bar (North Hill) 1 out of 5.
Mutley Spice (Mutley Plain) 1 out of 5.
Somerfield Supermarket (Mutley Plain) 1 out of 5.
City Charcoal Grill (Mutley Plain) 1 out of 5.
Wah Tin (North Hill) 1 out of 5.
The Hyde Park (Mutley Plain) 1 out of 5.
Ibbys Sandwich Bar (North Road East) 1 out of 5.
Goodbodys Cafe (Mutley Plain) 1 out of 5.
Mutley Fish and Burger Bar (Mutley Plain) 1 out of 5.

Question: Are food outlets, resturants etc required by law to display their scores or is it optional? I do remember seeing someone boasting a level 5 score recently but reading this makes me wonder what the point is if they are not required to display their scores bad score will just go in the bin.

Why cant the public be informed of all the places in our area which get zero ratings so that we can avoid at all costs. Some of the findings in this report are beyond belief.
I was told by a friend once " If you eat or by food from an establishment ask to see the kitchens. If the owner refuses go elsewhere"